E.N. Bisso to commission latest tugboat

E. N. Bisso & Son, Inc., New Orleans, has set January 20th as the commissioning date for its new tugboat, the JOSEPHINE ANNE, with a ceremony at Waldenberg Park in New Orleans.

The 4,000 horsepower, Z-drive tug will be the latest to join E. N. Bisso's existing fleet of 16 boats.

Built by Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Fla, the JOSEPHINE ANNE is equipped with the latest technology for providing safe and efficient assistance to large ocean-going vessels calling at over 100 facilities along the 238 miles of the Lower Mississippi River, from the river's entrance to Baton Rouge.

The tug is named for Josephine Anne Bisso Moore, granddaughter of Captain Edwin N. Bisso, who established the current company during World War II.

"The JOSEPHINE ANNE is an example of the relationship and teamwork we have with our customers," said Bill McDonald, the company's Executive Vice President.

According to Bill Summers, the company's Vice President of Operations, "While the design of the JOSEPHINE ANNE is largely customer driven, we also paid particular attention to other benefits of good design, such as crew comfort, safety and environmental protection."

Matt Holzhalb, Assistant to the President, explains that the tug is being commissioned rather than christened, because the christening actually occurred in July when the tug was launched. The commissioning, which will be ordered by the tug's namesake, will direct the crew to operate the boat safely and efficiently, for the sake of the company's employees, customers, owners and all citizens along the river.